Nature is getting creative, so am I

In this exhibition, Inez Ligtenberg presents a portion of her ongoing exploration of the moment when energy is released—an exploration that continually leads her from one project to the next.

In her “canvases”—paintings on unbleached cotton in which the image emerges from the fabric’s existing folds and wrinkles—this moment occurs as soon as the desired balance is achieved. Then the light can emerge from the canvas, and energy is released.

That same search for something alive continues in her objects, which she describes as unconventional spatial drawings. Inez experimented with a variety of modules, including small pieces of paper, metal wires, and plastic shirt pockets. In recent years, she has been working primarily with Flexpuzzle, a flexible plastic building material for children, through which she continually discovers new ways to connect the pieces while applying as little force as possible.

Recurring themes in her work include relationships, attachment, growth, movement, and changeability, as well as the idea of false security.

The exhibition also features an installation that Ligtenberg created 10 years ago to mark the 125th anniversary of the Haagse Kunstkring. The work, titled “The Tree Grows Thicker and Thicker,” was on display at the time at Het Kinderkabinet, a children’s clothing store on Denneweg. The title refers to a children’s game that used to be played in schoolyards, in which more and more children joined hands, making the circle grow larger and larger—an image that is equally applicable to the Kunstkring, which has welcomed new members over the years.

Exhibition opening on Saturday, August 29, at 4:30 p.m.